At least 7 killed, 20 hurt by erupting volcano in Guatemala

Aviation authorities closed the capital’s international airport because of the danger posed to planes by the ash.

One of Central America’s most active volcanos erupted in fiery explosions of ash and molten rock on Sunday, killing at least seven people and injuring 20 while a towering cloud of smoke blanketed nearby villages in heavy ash. An undetermined number were missing, and authorities feared the toll could rise.

Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego, Spanish for “volcano of fire,” exploded shortly before noon. Hours later, around 4 p.m., lava began flowing down the side of the mountain. Eddy Sanchez, director of the country’s seismology and volcanology institute, said the flows reached temperatures of about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 Celsius).

Video images published by Sacatepezuez television showed a charred landscape where a lava flow came into contact with homes. Three bodies lay partially buried in ash-colored debris from the volcano, which lies about 44 km from City.

Other videos from local media showed residents walking barefoot and covered in muddy residue.

“Not everyone was able to get out. I think they ended up buried,” Consuelo Hernandez, a resident of the village of El Rodeo, told the newspaper Diario de Centroamerica.

“Where we saw the lava fall, we ran to a hillside” to escape, she added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Daily Report and is published from a The Hindu.)